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Grieg recital kicks off morning concert series to celebrate St. Olaf music department

By David Gonnerman '90
September 15, 2003

NORTHFIELD, Minn. ? A new morning concert series at St. Olaf College will begin with a performance of Edvard Grieg?s music on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 11:30 a.m. in Urness Recital Hall, Christiansen Hall of Music. The one-hour concert is free and open to the public.

The Grieg concert is part of ?The Centennial Concert Series,? commemorating the 100th anniversary of the St. Olaf Music Department.

Sonja Thompson
Thompson
Performers on Thursday are tenor Dan Dressen, cellist David Carter and pianist Kent McWilliams ? all from the St. Olaf faculty ? and Augsburg Professor of Music Sonja Thompson on piano. The program will include eight songs sung by Dressen and accompanied by Thompson, as well as ?Sonata for Cello and Piano? performed by Carter and McWilliams.

?Concerts in the middle of the day break up the stress and monotony of the day,? said McWilliams, who proposed the idea. ?And there are people on campus and in town who can?t come to evening events, so this might be an opportunity to reach a new audience.?

Five additional Centennial morning concerts are scheduled this year under the themes Spirituality (Oct. 16), Centuries of Music (Nov. 13), Love (Feb. 19, 2004), Globalization (March 11), U.S.A. (April 8) and Syttende Mai (May 13).

Professor of Music and department chair Dressen is president of the Minnesota College and University Council on Music. An active performer in the Twin Cities, Dressen has performed as soloist with the Minnesota Opera, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Associate Professor of Music Carter has performed as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra and with the Wichita Symphony, where he also played principal cello. He taught at Wichita State University before coming to St. Olaf in 1998.

Assistant Professor of Piano Performance McWilliams has played piano across the globe, including frequent live radio performances for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and the Australian Broadcasting Corp. His studies include one year in Poland, where he studied Polish folk elements in Chopin?s music.

Thompson is assistant professor of music at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. A graduate of The Juilliard School?s Accompanying Program, she is a specialist in music-theater performance. She has worked extensively with Nautilus Music-Theater, a St. Paul-based music-teacher company. Thompson has also performed numerous times on Garrison Keillor?s public radio program ?A Prairie Home Companion.?

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-646-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.